Table of Contents

Shattered Futures

Initial Brief

PCs

Howard Branch The Splintered Man

Nobody

Jimmy Hoskins He Who Devours Himself

Xavier

Senta

Andrea

Man of Many Means

Debrief

The party head into the desert, defeating sand worms and Stoic Veil Cultists in order for Howard to speak with the Stoic Veil. Howard asks for the Stoic Veil help in separating his Harbinger and Scion tendencies into masks to be worn as needed. The Veil is initially happy to do this, but once he realises what Howard is planning, suggests that favour may be better suited for being called upon later. With this, Howard takes his leave and works to perform the needed miracle himself, creating 2 masks half-masks each with an aspect of himself within them.

With this done, the party head into the lost spaces. Defeating wolves, eagles, bandits, metal golems, would be Warlords of the Graves Family, and even Voivodes child of Triskelion and Valknut in their efforts to spread Howard’s influence. In the case of Samuel Graves, the party very nearly talk him into some sort of deal before he feels Howard interfering with his ritual and orders his men to attack. Following the defeat of Samuel Graves, the party gather a fair bit of information about the lost spaces from his notes and magic mirror. In the case of Voivodes, Jimmy is able to offer the truly ancient Primal the opportunity to be reborn, which Voivodes accepts (along with his followers). In the process, Jimmy converts Voivodes into a baby and spreads his Primal nature among the souls of his followers before sending them to expectant parents (one of who turns out to be Armand).

The party then return a lost truth seeker to Skira (while Howard woes their Mirror from them), fight the denizens of a Star-Forged mirror, and steal the realm of an ancient and private water spirit. The party are a little pissed about the last part (having not been consulted and not being okay with just ruining people’s lives). However, before they get much of a chance to argue Howard begins his ascension proper, dragging them into a somewhat metaphorical space, where he asks them to gather connections to mirrors doted about the world. The party succeeds in this while fighting, something.

Next the party faces several powerful entities with dominion over mirrors or identity. A particularly aggressive Serradic god called The Smoking Mirror is quickly dispatched by the Stoic Veil and Jubilant Mask, before handing his essence over to Howard as payback for a favour owed. The party then slowly deal with the other entities with varying levels of success, either by making deals with them or beating them into submission.

Having successfully tied the lost spaces to the rest of the world, the party deal with the immune response to end all immune responses, facing both their own dopples and seemingly the dopples of half the rest of the world. Somehow they win.

Following Howard’s ascension, everyone finds themselves returned to the mirrored lake (or possibly they never left). Jimmy feels Howard’s divine favour being offered to him, but is unable to accept it due to his own divinity. Everyone present is also offered Howard’s divine favour, while Nobody is marked as Howard’s High Priest. There is some discussion about how they are going to get home, with Nobody arguing it should be as easy as stepping into a mirror (which he does), while others try unsuccessfully, eventually Nobody returns and brings them through to a Dark room. Following a brief confusion where the occupant of the room wakes up to find a large group of armed strangers in their bedroom and flees, the party decide that vacating the house and getting back to Acryn would probably be a smart move.

Once in Acryn, Nobody divides the money that Howard had stashed away to pay the party, with everyone getting 70 riel.

There is some discussion as to what should happen to the reborn Primal, Xavier offers to send child to mother, Armand offers to give to wealthy family, Andrea offers a couple of non-noble wealthy merchant families, but Jimmy eventually gives it to a well-off couple in his employ that have had difficulties having their own child.

Xavier shows their mace-arm to the Tender church, and is initially treated dismissively and about to be thrown out before recognised. The Tender church give a thorough examination and attempt to help, although if their work has improved the situation it is not immediately obvious.

Over the next few weeks, the beginnings of a fairly substantial church to the Splintered man are begun. The building is disturbing to walk past, as substantial fractures have been incorporated into the structure of the church, giving it the appearance of being moments away from collapse, although actually incredibly stable due to the talent and workmanship applied to the project.

Jimmy pursues several legal projects over the next few weeks, both ensuring that the Watch’s case against the Man of Many Means goes away, but also to ensure that Corporate Graves will not be able to use Samuel’s warlord in in the Lost Places as a means of claiming the entirety of the realm.

Following her duel with Marcus Manius Maximus, Senta travels to Valydd to challenge his high priest. They are impressed with Senta’s story and willing to accept the challenge. Senta loses, but by a narrow margin, and is blessed as a Holy Warrior of The Heroic Path.

Andrea goes to explain to Booker what happened, and that she has been shown the way to Skira by Howard. In return Booker explains how important Skira is to the Traitor Church (as a really convenient place to put things too dangerous to be out in the open). Next Andrea goes to talk to the Guild, explain the Lost Places can now be accessed through mirrors, and asks about a place of pure potential. Gets a bit of an infodump including access to some files.

Armand tells Francesco about Samuel, who in turn tells Corlo Graves. Corlo summons Armand and begins an interview. It is clear that Armagh has a very low opinion of Samuel, which seems to annoy Corlo, however he has clearly learnt enough to begin plotting. Later, Andrea also turns up to brief Corlo, after arranging a meeting that they aren’t really highly ranked enough to get and are given 10 minutes in which they substantially impress Corlo with their knowledge, insight, and stolen documentation of Graves assets in the out spaces and pre-upheaval blackmail material. Corlo then provides Andrea with sufficient resources to take control of the Graves assets in the Lost Spaces, and begins legal procedures to stake a legal claim. Andrea’s stolen documents help this process a lot, as does an armed presence and working communications. However, Jimmy had a head start and also has a decent map and understanding of the area. By the end of their wrangling, the Graves Family has the largest single legal stake in the lost places, but it is smaller than they were aiming for and several other interests also have officially recognised stakes. Andrea is given the Estates in the Lost Spaces to manage on behalf of the Graves.

Over the next few months travel to the lost spaces becomes slightly more common. It seems that there is now no difficulties leaving a lost space, but getting into them has become harder if you are not favoured of the Splintered Man. The realm has taken on a slightly mirrored quality, you will find reflections in any surface there regardless of texture of colour. The cracks between different parts of the Lost spaces are now completely visible, disconcertingly grinding against each other as the spaces slowly rearrange themselves over and over again. Perhaps most concerning of all, a small number of the long-term residents of the Lost Spaces have taken on a reflective and cracked appearance, as if made entirely from broken mirrors.

In Serradis, on the walls of the Pantheon Building, an obsidian mask is removed and replaced with one made of a mosaic of mirror pieces.

Outcomes

Armand

Divine Favour of The Splintered Man
Is pre-pregnant and will become pregnant with sexual intercourse. Due to inappropriate physiology, will need the aid of a wounding mage or skilled surgeon, and a surrogate following that.

Andrea

Divine Favour of The Splintered Man
Gleam Baby is now mentally and physically a teenager, you may stat a 12pt NPC using the standard character advancement rules who can be utilised for 2 encounters per an adventure. It is possible to lose this quirk through teenage rebellion.

The Man of Many Means

Divine Favour of The Splintered Man
No longer wanted by the watch

Senta

Xavier

Divine Favour of The Splintered Man

Xavier's hand has been fractured, merged with a mace, and had a number of attempts to heal it. The effects of this are numerous and painful. By focussing on the correct arrangement Xavier can form either a somewhat fractured mace-looking hand, or a slightly fractured hand-looking mace. Xavier takes a rend while swapping between these two forms. The mace counts as master crafted and is immune to disarm. It is possible to add additional forms with an appropriate Fracturing ritual (mana related to size of item). It is likely that additional problems will arrive if too much mass is added to Xavier's arm.

Nobody

High Priest of a Young God
Masks of Order and Chaos

Jimmy Hoskins

Some sort of deal with the Temple of the Splintered Man, not certain on the details.Note by JoeW: The deal was that in exchange for Jimmy's help constructing the temple, Nobody would hold up Howard's end of the bargain and ensure that he and his had access to someone with the Splintered Man's favour when they needed to travel the Lost Places.

Artefacts

The Mask of Order and Chaos

In fact two half-masks, each is imbued with powers associated with the Consensus and the Flux. Each has a powerful effect on the personality of the wearer. It is not possible to wear both parts at the same time.

Order

While wearing the mask of Order, the wearer can detect when they are in the Flux or when they are confronted by flux entities due to the strong feeling of disgust and revulsion they cause the wearer to feel.
Once per an adventure the mask can aid its wearer in converting a section of Flux into Consensus.
While worn, the mask produces an Aura of The Splintered Man

Chaos

While wearing the mask of Chaos, the wearer can detect when they are in the Consensus or when they are confronted by consensus entities due to the strong feeling of disgust and revulsion they cause the wearer to feel.
Once per an adventure the mask can aid its wearer in converting a section of Consensus into Flux.
While worn, the mask produces an Aura of The Splintered Man